Sanctuary on side of Mexican volcano could be universe model
By Associated Press January 3 at 6:52 PM
MEXICO CITY — Mexican archaeologists say they have excavated a stone sanctuary in a pond on the side of a volcano east of Mexico City that may have been built as a miniature model of the universe.
The National Institute of Anthropology and History says the remnants of the stone “tetzacualco” were in the center of a natural pond below the Iztaccihuatl volcano at an elevation of nearly 13,000 feet.
In addition to the sanctuary, decorative pieces associated with the rain god Tlaloc were found nearby.
Archaeologist Iris del Rocio Hernandez Bautista says some Mesoamerican creation myths hold that the earth monster Cipactli floated on primeval waters and then split itself, thus creating the heavens and earth. She says the site at Nahualac could emulate that idea.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/the_americas/sanctuary-on-side-of-mexican-volcano-could-be-universe-model/2018/01/03/be3794dc-f0d2-11e7-95e3-eff284e71c8d_story.html?utm_term=.440d1d020fd3
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Underwater shrine appears to represent the beginning of space and time in Mesoamerican mythology
Josh Gabbatiss Science Correspondent 2 hours ago
The Nahualac shrine site viewed from above shows the submerged structure in the pond Arturo Cruz/Terrsat Cartografia
Mexican archaeologists have identified a stone “tetzacualco” – or shrine – that they think could have been constructed as a “miniature model of the universe”.
The structure is located in a pond on the side of the Iztaccihuatl volcano near Mexico City, on a site termed Nahualac.
In some ancient Mesoamerican myths concerning the creation of the world, the crocodile monster Cipactli floated on the primal waters and from its body the earth and sky were created.
With the shrine placed in the middle of a pond, the archaeologists that discovered it suggested that it is a representation of this origin story for the beginning of time and space – “a miniature model of the universe”.
More:
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/science/nahualac-mexican-universe-structure-model-mexico-city-volcano-a8142551.html
By Owen Jarus, Live Science Contributor | January 5, 2018 08:23am ET
- click for image -
https://img.purch.com/h/1400/aHR0cDovL3d3dy5saXZlc2NpZW5jZS5jb20vaW1hZ2VzL2kvMDAwLzA5Ny82Mjkvb3JpZ2luYWwvdGV0emFjdWFsY28uanBn
When water levels in the pond are low, the Tetzacualco can be seen.
Credit: Arturo Cruz, Terrasat Cartografía
A 1,000-year-old stone structure in Mexico may represent how some people in ancient Mesoamerica believed the Earth was created, an archaeologist suggests.
Located on the foothills of a volcano in the middle of a pond, the "Tetzacualco" (a name that can mean "stone enclosure"
has been known to explorers since the 16th century. Since that time, both amateur explorers and professional archaeologists have investigated the structure, putting forth a variety of ideas as to what the structure was used for and when it was built. Made of numerous stones, it's about 37.7 x 32.2 feet (11.5 x 9.8 meters).
A new series of excavations, led by Iris del Rocío Hernández Bautista, an archaeologist with Mexico's National Institute of Anthropology and History, or Instituto Nacional de Antropología e Historia (INAH), aims to be the most intensive investigation of the Tetzacualco ever conducted. [The 25 Most Mysterious Archaeological Finds on Earth]
More:
https://www.livescience.com/61341-ancient-stone-structure-earth-creation.html?utm_source=notification
